Contrivance for intermittently displaying sheets.



. W.'H. ELL & J. MILLER. GONTRIVANGE FOR INTERMITTENTLY DISPLAYING SHEETS.

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1,059,663. Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0,,WASHINGTON. D. I:v

W. H. ELL & J. MILLER. GONTRIVANCB FOR INTEBMITTENTLY DISPLAYING SHEETS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1912.

1,059,663 L Patented Apr.22,1913.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

WILLIAM HENRY ELL AND JAMES MILLER, 01 PECKHAM, LONDON, ENGLAND.

CONTRIVANCE FOR INTERMITTENTLY DISPLAYING SHEETS.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM HENRY ELL and JAMES MILLER, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at 14: Cronin road, Peckham, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in (lontrivances for Intermittently Displaying Sheets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved contrivance for intermittently displaying sheets such as advertisement posters, and more particularly relates to improved mechanism whereby of a plurality of suspended sheets. the front sheet is withdrawn from view and carried over the top of the contrivance to the back where it is lowered with the same border uppermost at the rear of the other sheets, to arrive eventually at the front again, where it is again exposed. The sheets are suspended by rods secured to theupper borders of the sheets, the protruding ends of the rods being supported on guides which are inclined toward, the front of the contrivance in the usual manner.

Broadly the invention consists in transferring the sheets by winding each sheet around a rotating roller of relatively large diameter arranged above the suspended sheets, whereupon, the rotation of the roller being arrest-ed in such angular position that the free end of the sheet is above the rear of the suspended sheets, on the roller being again rotated, but in the reverse direction, the sheet is lowered at the rear of the suspended sheets. The rotation of the roller to wind up the sheet is preferably in the direction such that its lower surface moves from the front to the back of the contrivance, but the rotation of the roller to wind up the sheet may be in the contrary direction. The mechanism may run continuously, as the time interval occu pied in winding and unwinding the sheet will ordinarily suffice for the exposure of the next sheet.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel is anincomplete rear elevation, the inclosing wooden casing being in section and the back removed. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation taken along the line 2-2 of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 12, 1912.

Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

Serial No. 730,873.

Fig. 1, looking toward the right, and Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, looking toward the left.

a is the front of the contrivance where the sheets 0 are successively exposed to view and b is the back thereof. The sheets 0 are suspended on guide d, by the protruding ends of rods secured to their upper borders, and are weighted at their lower borders by rods which do not protrude.

e is a crank which is continuously rotated through the medium of a reducing gear by an electro motor or other motor (not shown). The crank c is connected by a rod f to a toothed sector 9, whereby the latter is alternately rocked in opposite directions. The sector 9 rotates a pinion h, to which is secured a spur-wheel 2', which in turn rotates a pinion j, mounted on the spindle of the roller is extending across the contrivance. At each end the roller is provided with a radially protruding hook Protruding from the outer face of the spur-wheel 2' is a stud 2' On the reversal of the direction of rotation of the spur-wheel i and the other elements in gear therewith, due to the periodical reversal of the direction of the movement of the connecting-rod f as the crank a rotates, the stud i engages one or the other of a pair of pawls m mounted on a link m and displaces the latter. The link m being pivotally mounted on a lever n and a toothed sector 0, the displacement of the link m angularly displaces the sector 0, whereby a pinion 79 in gear therewith is also angularly displaced.

n is a spring for more or less balancing the weight of the lever n, link m pawls m and sector 0.

The pawls m are spring returned and, to prevent noise, snap against a felt or the like stop m After displacing the link m the stud i merely pushes back the other pawl m until the direction of rotation of the spur-wheel 2' is again reversed.

The pinion p is secured to a spindle p which extends transversely across the contrivance, and near each end of the spindle 71 a lever q is secured. On the angular displacement of the pinion p and spindle 29 the levers q are angularly displaced, and if down, lift the front sheet so that the ext-remities of its roddrop into notches 1' formed 1n the upper edges of guide plates mounted at t-he sides of the contrivance.

The hooks [c of the roller 7.: in the course of the appropriate rotation of the roller engage the ends of the rod of the sheet and wind the sheet upon the roller.

During the winding, the trailing portion of the sheet is drawn over the edge of a board 8 which extends across the contrivance beneath the roller and above the suspended sheets.

The boss 9 of each lever q obstructs the respective guide (Z and is formed with a notch which, when the lever is down, is opposite the upper portion of the guide (Z and receives the lowest rod from the guide. On the upward displacement of the levers the notches (f transfer the rod to the front portion of the guides (l in the place of the rod of the sheet lifted. by the levers, where by the front sheet becomes separated from the other sheets by a space interval for rear ward illumination by side lamps.

On the reversal of the direction of rotation of the roller 70, the entire sheet will have become wound thereon and is lowered with its trailing border at the rear of the board 8 and of the suspended sheets, eventually, when completely unwound, to be dropped, owing to its rod falling off the hooks onto the guides (Z and at the rear of the other sheets.

At the commencement of the rotation of the roller to unwind the sheet, the stud i on the wheel i engages the pawl m standing in its path and displaces downward the link we and through the sector 0, )inion p and spindle W, the levers g are also displaced downward.

The mechanism is illustrated in the position in which a sheet has just commenced to be unwound off the roller.

To permit the levers g passing the rod of the front sheet suspended at the front of the guides (Z, the end portions of the levers are pivoted as pawls whereby they can yield upward against the influence of springs 9 The circuit of the illuminating lamps is closed when the levers Q are displaced downward and broken when they are lifted, by means of a commutator disk 25 secured on the end of the spindle 79 remote from the crank-and-sector mechanism. Other switching devices may be employed, or the lamps may be continuously alight.

It is obvious that the sheets may be successively exposed to view immediately after they have been lowered at the back of the contrivance.

We claim:

1. In a contrivance for intermittently displaying sheets, a series of suspended sheets, a roller mounted above said sheets, means for alternately rotating said roller in opposite directions and means for causing a sheet to be engaged by said roller on one side of said series, wound thereon and unwound therefrom on the other side of said series.

2. In a contrivance for intermittently displaying sheets, inclined guides, a series of sheets rods at the upper borders of said sheets suspending said sheets from said guides, means for preventing the sheets moving completely along said guides and for intermittently passing the sheets in succession along said guides, a roller mounted above said sheets, means for alternately rotating said roller in opposite directions and means for causing the passed sheet to be engaged by said roller, wound thereon and unwound therefrom at the upper end of said guides.

3. In a contrivance for intermittently displaying sheets, inclined guides, a series of sheets, rods at the upper borders of said sheets suspending said sheets from said guides, notched bosses in said guides, pawlended levers on said bosses moving past the lower ends of said guides, a roller mounted above said sheets, means for alternately rotating said roller in opposite directions, means for intermittently angularly displacing said bosses and levers and means on said roller for engaging a rod lifted with its sheet by said levers from the lower ends of said guides.

4. In a contrivance for intermittently displaying sheets, inclined guides, a series of sheets, rods at the upper borders of said sheets suspending said sheets from said guides, notched bosses in said guides, pawlended' levers on said bosses moving past the lower ends of said guides, a roller mounted above said sheets, hooks on said iroller, means for alternately rotating said roller in opposite directions, means for intermittently angularly displacing said bosses and levers and means for supporting in the path of said hooks a rod lifted with its sheet by said levers from the lower ends of said guides.

5. In a contrivance for intermittently displaying sheets, inclined guides, a series of sheets rods at the upper borders of said sheets suspending said sheets from said guides, means for preventing the sheets moving completely along said guides and for intermittently passing the sheets in succession along said guides, a roller mounted above said sheets, a pinion on said roller, a sector geared with said pinion, a connecting rod connected to said sector, a constantly rotated crank connected to said connecting rod, and means for causing the passed sheets to be engaged by said roller, wound thereon and unwound therefrom at the upper end of said guides.

6. In a contrivance for intermittently displaying sheets, inclined guides, a series of sheets, rods at the upper borders of said sheets suspending said sheets from said guides, notched bosses in said guides, pawl-ended levers on said bosses moving past the lower ends of said guides, a roller mounted above said sheets, a pinion on said roller, a sector geared with said pinion, a connecting rod connected to said sector, a constantly rotated crank connected to said connecting rod, means for intermittently angularly displacing said bosses and levers and means on said roller for engaging a rod lifted with its sheet by said levers from the lower ends of said guides.

7 In a contrivance for intermittently displaying sheets, inclined guides, a series. of sheets, rods at the upper borders of said sheets suspending said sheets from said guides, notched bosses in said guides, pawl ended levers on said bosses moving past the lower ends of said guides, a roller mounted above said sheets, hooks on said roller, a pinion on said roller, a sector geared with said pinion, a connecting rod connected to said sector, a constantly rotated crank connected to said connecting rod, means for intermittently angular-1y displacing said bosses and levers and means for supporting in the path of said hooks, a rod lifted with its sheet by said levers from the lower ends of said guides.

In testimony whereof we have signed our name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM HENRY ELL. JAMES MILLER.

Witnesses:

ROBERT ARTHUR SMITH, O. J. VVOR'IH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0. 

